Acknowledgements and Dedication

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Just a moment to acknowledge and thank those who made this effort possible. Peer support teaches us that you can’t do it alone; thank you for your support.

This book is dedicated to all of the great supporters in our life. Our mothers, Katherine and Ruby, who laid the foundation, so that we could weather the storms.   

Our fellow poets and peers; Sylvia Plath and The Bell Jar, which provided the spark; that told us that poetry and story-telling was about inner reflection and honesty; a place where you could confess all of your sins; Mara Robbins, who served as poetry teacher and mentor; it could not have been anyone else; Leah Harris (Shifa Consulting), our developmental editor, whose wise guidance allowed us to create the best version of Poets and Peers.

 To everyone out there, who has suffered the stain of mental illness, and decided to stop trying to wash it off, and instead wear it as a badge of your honor. We acknowledge what you have endured and say you are not alone.

Most of all, to Carla; I would not be here without you. This book is a love story; of our love for each other and peer support. Thank you, for taking a leap of faith on love with me. To this diminutive woman in body, but giant in spirit, who never met a boulder she could not climb; you will never climb another boulder alone.

 

- Nicholas Pappas